Hinge



C. H. CAMPBELL HINGE Filed June 5, 1925 fm2/aufm@ I l d/Mang 6' Patented Dee. 27, 19227.

UNITED STATES Pi-iriri'rl OFFICE.

CHARLES H. CAMPBELL, OF BROOKLINE, DIASSACHUSETTS.

HINGE.

Application filed June 5, 1925. lferial No. 35,214.

of a tin can, such as those used to containM crackers, or between a frame of sheet metal, adapted to be placed over a cracker carton, and a cover connected to such frame.

The main object of the invention is to provide a firm, strong and secure hinge anchor especially adapted to the uses above set forth; that is, to the purpose of connecting a relatively heavy cover to a structure made of light sheet metal.

More generally, the object and accomplishment of the invention are to connect a relatively heavy swinging member, by a hinge, to a vsiuaporting structure, which may be made of relatively light and flexible construction, in an especially secure and strong manner. I have accomplished this object by providing a hinge anchor which comprises a sheet metal strip wrapped about a wire or rod, which forms the hinge pintle and is a part of, or is connected to, the cover structure, and the ends of such sheet metal strip are passed through a slot in the base structure and there bent over and back to form lugs or flanges having a total width greater than that of the slot, whereby to prevent the hinge anchor from being pulled out vfrom the base structure.

A. further object is to enable such hinge anchor to be easily and economically assembled with the body structure and secured thereto, with a minimum of wasted time and effort on the part of the work people, and with a maximum `of uniformity, accuracy and rsecurity in the formation and placement of the holding lugs of all the hinge anchors so assembled. This second object is accomplished by a mode of procedure or method in assembling the parts the hinge, which also I claim as part of the invention.. n

In the drawings herewith furnished to illustrate the' principles and characteristics of the invention,- l

Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing a frame or open top, which is provided for use in retail grocer shops to be placed on cartons containing crackers and biscuits; lto which frame is attached a hinged cover by meansl embodying the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a cross section en an enlarged scale, showing the construction of the hinge and its anchor in full detail.;

sectional views.

Fig. 3 is a similar view showing essentially the same structure, but with the hinge anchor reversedin position; l n l Figs. a and 5 are sectional views showing the intermediate stages in the process of applying the hinge anchor to the pintle rod or wire of the cover and forming it preparatory to insertion of the frame; l

Fig. 6 is a view showing the final step of securing the hinge anchor in the frame.

Like reference characters designate the same parts wherever they occur in all the figures.

The part, which in the brief descriptionof Fig. l, I have called a frame or top member, comprises four side walls a: adapted to embrace the sides of a pasteboard carton, a top ledge l) extending inward from each of the four walls and adapted to r'est on the top` of the carton', and a lip c at the inner edge of such ledge, said lip defining the opening through which access is had to the interior of the carton. In a broader sense, this frame represents and typifies any base structure to which a cover or other hinged member may be secured. It is made of socalled tin, of very thin gauge, being thereby flexible and of no great strength. It may be made in any fashion known to the tin-l smiths art, ancd may be reinforced, as required, by wires around either or both outer edges of its walls, so as to have as much strength as is needed for the service it is to perform.

Z represents the cover which is hinged at one edge to the base frame 0.'. The cover itself embodies a frame, in which is mounted a glass pane e, which is Vpreferably reinforced with a wire extending along each of its four edges d', cl2, cl3, (Zt. The wire, or that part of the wire,`extending along the -edge d4 constitutes the hinge pin or pintle.

As the cover is relatively heavy and is formed to embrace and overlie the lip c, bounding the entrance to the body frame, while such body frame is of light and flexible construction, a strong and well secured hinge anchor is required. I have provided in the articlel here shown, three such hinge anchors, which are spaced at rconvenient intervals along the wire in the edge 0l of the cover, one being at'the middle of such edge, and the other two being near the ends of the edge. rIhe wire is shown at f in the All the hinge .anchors are alike, wherefore a description of one will vansiver for all.

Suchanchor consists el' a strip or thin plate g of tin, that is, the same sort oit sheet metal used in making the bod-y 'frame and cover, and perm ibly olf :the same gauge also. Said strip y/ is bent near its middle on a curve oi a radius slightly` larger than the hinge Wire f, and is placed over the wire, as shown in Fie'. l. Then one halt ol' the strip is ollset toward .the other part, so. as to completely surround the Wire. Those parts ot the strip which project from trie Wire, and are broiflght by such offsetting close together, form What, i'or the purpose oi this description, I will ,call a tab. .it is 'formed oit tivo 'thicknesses or plies et the shcetinetal. Such tab is passed through a slot /L in the liange (l o'l the base member, and then bent down close against the inn-cr surface of the ilange at one side of the slot,

then doubled bach in the opposite direction und carried aross the slot, pre` rably out to the Wall a. 'the tab, thus bent and doubled bach and iorth, ina-lies lugs Aor llanges el, y', which underlie considerable areas et the ledge on either side ol' the slot It, and are pressed close against the under side ol the l'lange, thus liolding the hingeA eye, which is formed by the doubled n'iiddle part of the original strip g, closely and firmly against 'the base. trame, and n'iaking it impossible for the hinge to be disconnected except by force great enough to tear and destroy the hase trame. The strip g, which is thus formed and entered into the base Atraine and flange, provides what have called the hinge anchor.

The bending and folding ot the hinge anchor tab to form such lugs, particularly vvhen anuuiber oit them are to be thus folded and set at once, is liable to involve much diliiculty and uncertainty. it is necessary, as a matter of conmiercial practice, that when tvvo, three or more such hinge anchors are applied to the same structure, thetabs of all should be folded and secured` at one operation, on account et' the saving in cost by so doing over the cost ot folding them separately. llut this requires that the cover, (the member which carries the hinge pintle and the base traine, both be so held that the tabs ol all tl e anchors project through theirrespective slots in thc parl` Z), and that the projecting tabs be folded over by dies, or a die, in a' pre s. lill'ien the tabs are straight in initial formation, it is exceedingly diicult, and practically impossible, so to hold them in the press that they will all extend in the saine direetien and all Will be properly engaged by the die or dies, and all will be folded correctly; .for the sheet metal in which the slots 71, are

ldrmed is so thin that the sides ol the slots are unable to held the tabs upright, While a slight tilting` or cooking of the tab will pre vent its beingfolded and pressed. against 'the surface of the base member in the manner required to form the lugs above described.

l have devised amethod of folding the tabs which ensurestheir correct final 'formation and placement, and Wholly avoids the .tendency or liabilitytoward Wrong placement above described. This method is a part ot the invention which l desire to protect herein. It comprises a preliminary bending ot' the tab of the hinge anchor, prior to ].rilacementin the base frame, in a manner such that the location oi the folds is established, and bending noi the tab to form' llanges of the required length and disposed in the required positions is assu-red.

The preferred steps employed 'in ca'rrying out this method are illustrated in Figs. il! and 5. Preferably, the same dies which close the Ll-shaped strip around the hinge Wire are also appropriately formed to put the bends in lthe tab oif the resultingghinge anchor-5 and preferably, also, all of the hinge anchors applied to `the same cover are so closed in and bent at once, but this latter detail is netjessential. Ehe `complementaldies comprise a base member lhand a punch member Z. In the base member is a recess m to receive the hinge 1Wire, a ridge 'n adjacent thereto, and a groove 0, these ridges and grooves all run'- ning parallel. to the hinge Wire; and in the punch member is' a groove p to receive lthe hinge Wire, and a ridge g complemental to the groove 0. The cover is placed over one end of the base die with its hinge Wire above the groove m and resting on a support r,

which is held in an upright guideway in the end ot the base ,l2 and is supported by'a spring s. Such support is beside the end olf the groove m in the base die, and its 'function to assist in supporting and locatingthe wired edge ot' the cover so that the llsshaped anchor strip will lie on its side and not be tipped up toward the punch member Z. The support 1" also has a vprojection which rises Within the cover close to that Wall thereof to Whi ch the hinge wire is attached.

When the punch member Z approaches the base member, it closes in the separted side oil the ll-shaped anchor piece, at the saine time bending the sidesdown into the groove o, and 'losing them around the hinge Wire, the support 'r then yielding` to permit the wire being forced into the groove m. The ridge n then forms a bend in the tab at t near the eye of the hinge anchor, and another bend at u. i

The Ahinge anchors thus closed and bent are passed through theslots in the ledge bot the base member, and the latter is placed, inverted, in another press, ivhere the hinge Wire is supported by an anvil w shown in Fig. 6. The folding die of this press then descends upon the bent tabs and flattens them down into the shape shown in Figs. 2 and 3, already described,

till

The part of the tab between its extremity and the fold a is preferably made long enough to extend out to the adjacent parallel wall of the base member, when fully flattened down,A in order that the end of the tab, when being thus folded down, may bear on said wall and be guided into the prescribed position, where the lianges will extend a sufficient distance to each side of the slot.

lVhile this last feature is an advantage, it is not essential, and I may reverse the anchor tab in position, as shown in Fig. 3. The essentials of this form of anchor and the method of forming it are the same as already described, and the only difference is that the advantages due to having the end of the tab bear on the side of the base member are relinquished.

As a result of the preliminary bending of the tab, there is no possibility of any of the hinge anchors becoming so far tilted or cocked in the final foldingl press as to prevent the tabs being correctly formed and positioned, but all the tabs are folded alike. At the same time, the preliminary bending leaves the angles in the tabs wide enough to permit of quick and easy insertion through the slots of the base member.

lVhile I have described the invention in terms particularly applicable to the art of sheet metal cans or can rims and their covers, it to be understood my protection is not limited to this art or class of goods, but includes the essential features of my improved hinge and the mode of making it,

herein described and hereinafter Vpointed out in the claims, for use in any structure where the same may be applicable. In the generic sense, the base frame herein described typifies any member to which another member may be hinged, and the cover typiies any swinging member which may be connected to another structure by a hinge,

while the hinge wire typies a pintle of'any ed to serve as a hinge pintle and a hinge anchor consisting of Va strip of sheet metal bent near .its middle to surround the said hinge pintle and to form a tab, said tab passing through the slot of said slotted wall bent double and formed with a hinge eyel and a tab extending through said slot so that said eye is close to one surface of the slotted ledge, said tab being sharply bent and laid against the adjacent surface of the ledge at one side of the slot, then folded double and extended across the slot and adjacent to the same surface of the ledge at the opposite side of the slot.

3. In a hinge the combination between a member having a wall and an end ledge, said end ledge containing a slot parallel to and spaced apart from said wall, and a hinge anchor consisting of a sheet metal strip bent double to form a hinge eye and extending through said slot so that said eye is close to vone surface of the slotted ledge, the part of the anchor at the other side of the ledge being sharply bent away from said Wall and laid against the adjacent surface of the ledge then folded double and extending from the fold substantially to said wall and against the adjacent surface of the ledge.

et. The method of forming and applying a hinge anchor of the character described to a slotted member, which consists in folding a strip of sheet metal to provide a hinge eye, and' a tab projecting from said eye, at the same time forming opposite angular bends in said tab at different distances from the eye, passing the tab thus bent through said slotted memberl until the hinge eye is near one surface of said member and the bend nearest to the eye is at the opposite side of the member, then pressing upon and further bending the bent tab toward the last named surface until the bent lport-ions of the tab Contact with each other and one of said portions bears against the adjacent surface of the slotted member.

In testimony whereof I have aiiixed my signature. f

CHARLES H. CAMPBELL.

M s @away cerifed ihm wmf @pears im 'im spa imion @if the amve numbered paen requiring wrreeci'm as owz l Bim M3, im' me misspeed wom "Sapad" ma@ "sparaiid"; dat tim said Letters y conform Pan shme be read with ms crecon h-ereim @mi the sama ma G ijn@ mcord of 'me case in the Paem @Nima Signed and sealed ms Zs day o Mmmm, Ae i 

